UGA football roster: Matt Landers to prove doubters wrong in 2020
UGA football receiver Matt Landers had a tough season in 2019, but he did show potential he can build upon for a breakout year in 2020.
After the 2019 season, Matt Landers is not the most popular player on the UGA football team.
Landers struggled, and that’s a bit of an understatement. Dropped or missed passes, route running mistakes and penalties hindered his season. In the Florida game alone, two of his mistakes kept two touchdowns off the board, and a miscommunication with Jake Fromm against South Carolina led to an interception.
He finished the 2019 season with 10 catches for 105 yards with one touchdown, but there’s no telling what his stats could have been without the mistakes. It would be all too easy to dismiss Landers as just another three-star receiver. Good athlete, but a low ceiling. That isn’t really the case with Landers, however.
Before the 2019 season began, Landers was a popular name among UGA football receivers as the next big star. Mecole Hardman said of Landers, “I believe if he gets in right and gets the playbook down, you will have his name called a lot on Saturdays.”
When Landers was a scout team player, head coach Kirby Smart often praised Landers for his effort and ability to really test the starting defensive backs. Other former receivers like Javon Wims have said a lot of positive things about Landers in the past as well. Clearly, the right people see a ton of potential in Landers, so what is missing?
The biggest, and perhaps the only major critique in Landers’ play is his finishing ability. He is an outstanding route runner, especially on deep routes. He doesn’t just outrun people because he’s fast, he can change his stride to a sprinter stride after getting in a good position against a defender. Landers is also a great jumper and has amazing length on his 6-5 frame.
Landers can get open, which is why his shortcomings are so glaring. He’s not dropping passes because of hits, he’s dropping passes after definitive victories against defenders. You can see it in last year’s G-Day Game and those issues persisted throughout the year.
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Landers can get open, he can stretch a defense and be a real threat any given Saturday. He just needs to finish plays. When the ball gets to him, he needs to catch it. If Landers can add this last piece to his game, there’s no reason why he can’t have an All-SEC caliber season. There’s no reason why NFL teams wouldn’t show interest in him.